hey, im new to this all just wondering what you people out there think..who are ur favourite pianists and why...i know that this is a heaps general sort of question but hey, im open to your opinions thanks ...

um id have to say one of my favourite is martha argerich..does anyone know her?? hmmm, i LOVE her recording of jeux d'eau and all the chopin stuff..her technique is soo good..when i was learning jeux d'eau i listened to her a lot

I almost got to see her play the Chopin E minor concerto with Ashkenazy conducting the Philharmonia, but — you guessed it — she cancelled, and Ashkenazy played and conducted a Mozart concerto instead, which was excellent but not Argerich. =(

_________________"Art produces ugly things which frequently become more beautiful with time. . . . Fashion, on the other hand, produces beautiful things which always become ugly with time."
— Jean Cocteau

Yes, what a question . I guess she is among the most famous living pianists in the world...and Gan, I really understand your disappointment when she canceled (Ashkenazy plays really well though). Hope she does not develop he concert cancelations in the same way as Michelangeli did.

I do enjoy Argerich and her Chopin preludes (even though she hits a left hand bass note wrong in the beginning of the 16:th prelude...I believe she misread the score actually!) and Chopin concertos are the ones I rank on the top of Chopin interpretations.

Actually, that time she cancelled for health reasons (which isn't surprising given her alleged chain-smoking-and-drinking habits). But I have heard that she has a track record of cancelling concerts at short notice. (That's only what I've heard . . . I take no responsibility for the accuracy of that statement.)

_________________"Art produces ugly things which frequently become more beautiful with time. . . . Fashion, on the other hand, produces beautiful things which always become ugly with time."
— Jean Cocteau

Actually, that time she cancelled for health reasons (which isn't surprising given her alleged chain-smoking-and-drinking habits). But I have heard that she has a track record of cancelling concerts at short notice. (That's only what I've heard . . . I take no responsibility for the accuracy of that statement.)

I have heard this as well. It might be a problem when you reach a certain level of fame and popularity and EVERY CONCERT NIGHT need to keep up with that rumour and really prove that you are the master of the instrument. She is not alone, several other pianists frequently cancel as well. With Michelangeli, it was crazy. He canceled a lot more than played. But he was a perfectionist and never took the chance and played if he was not 100% he would not play a single note wrong and he never did!

Is she now ! Thanks for enlightening us Any more good pianists we need to know about ?

C'mon, give the person a break.

_________________"Art produces ugly things which frequently become more beautiful with time. . . . Fashion, on the other hand, produces beautiful things which always become ugly with time."
— Jean Cocteau

Perhaps inflammatory isn't the most appropriate word then. I meant her feverish energy and imagination, her uncontrollled passion and tendency to explode in all directions. She is a loose cannon. In many cases that does not serve the music at all. But this is controversial, I better get out of here quickly now

Ha, ha, ha. Yes, maybe she's hiding on this forum and is now going to come looking for you.

yeh, thats me...i constantly do that all the time cough*cough how did you know

techneut wrote:

"I meant her feverish energy and imagination, her uncontrollled passion and tendency to explode in all directions. She is a loose cannon. In many cases that does not serve the music at all. But this is controversial, I better get out of here quickly now "

hmmm well, particularly with jeux d'eau by ravel, its pretty important that it doesnt seem that u r fully exerting yourself(or being crazily passionate)...and cos its impressionistic, it has to flow nicely (no, not like a 'loose cannon')..i think argerich did that really well...so yeh, cant say i agree but then again i dont know her extremely well, just some of her recordings

The thing I like most about Argerich is her boldness; the thing I most dislike is her boldness. Sometimes it's thrilling; other times it's like the screech of scrap metal. I feel the same way about Pollini's Chopin Etudes and Gould's WTK. I guess I'm moody.

I have no problem with declaring the greatest composer of all times (it just has to be Bach... who else) but I do not believe there is a 'greatest pianist', whether living or deceased. There are many great pianists, they are all different and have their own unique strenghts and weaknesses. Comparing is a risky game, let alone designing one 'the best'. It's just what you look for in a pianist.

Yes, I think Gilels is good too. But still, when Rachmaninov comes to question, the pianist I prefer is Sergei Rachmaninov himself (although the recordings are very old). And the third concerto is the best one

yeh, well okay, argerich mite not be the best pianist of all time...of course how can anyone be compared to liszt, bach (woh i wish i could hear him play his own pieces), rachmaninov....has anyone heard recordings of debussy playing his own music? its funny because he totally disregards his own markings haha obviously he can cos he's debussy and its his compositionfs

yeh, well okay, argerich mite not be the best pianist of all time...of course how can anyone be compared to liszt, bach (woh i wish i could hear him play his own pieces), rachmaninov....has anyone heard recordings of debussy playing his own music? its funny because he totally disregards his own markings haha obviously he can cos he's debussy and its his compositionfs

there has been told me that rachmaninoff couldn't play his ossia from rach 3 hahahaha

_________________music is enough for lifetime but lifetime isn't enough for music 'rachmaninoff'

there has been told me that rachmaninoff couldn't play his ossia from rach 3 hahahaha

That's gotta be b/s. The ossia isn't that difficult, and if he could play the rest of the concerto, he could surely have played the ossia if he wanted to.

_________________"Art produces ugly things which frequently become more beautiful with time. . . . Fashion, on the other hand, produces beautiful things which always become ugly with time."
— Jean Cocteau

Well, if you play the ossia cadenza, that is the climax of the first movement. If you take the opening of the concerto at the tempo Rachmaninoff took it, then playing the ossia cadenza at the same tempo would probably sound like musical nonsense. (But then again, if you can pull it off in a convincing manner, all the more power to you.)

_________________"Art produces ugly things which frequently become more beautiful with time. . . . Fashion, on the other hand, produces beautiful things which always become ugly with time."
— Jean Cocteau

Well, if you play the ossia cadenza, that is the climax of the first movement. If you take the opening of the concerto at the tempo Rachmaninoff took it, then playing the ossia cadenza at the same tempo would probably sound like musical nonsense. (But then again, if you can pull it off in a convincing manner, all the more power to you.)

what do you mean with musical nonsense? its different but it will sound good. I got the version of wibi soerjadi playing it on the tempo.

(I will ask the guy in a few days)

_________________music is enough for lifetime but lifetime isn't enough for music 'rachmaninoff'

Richter because he is the one that interpretes a piece as it should be, but not in the sense of boring, unimpressive, score-following style that some people tend to fall in, trying to perfect a piece while perfectly following the score is playing it wrong. Richter can let a piece sound as it should be, and at the same time put in his great knowlegde and power. Some recordings are just stunning.

Gould was the master of Bach. Although his recordings are very unusual and will sound weird to those who don't know them well, I think his playing is very well and especially his Bach is of extraordinary quality. Never heard anyone like him after him. He is the direct opposite of Richter (almost), and that's why I like them both.

Well my favourites are Vladimir Ashkenazy, Nikolai Demidenko and Lang Lang. The first two because I think they do Rachmaninov really, really, really, really well and I'm a big Rachmaninov nut And the last one because, well, he's just amazing. I love the energy of Lang Lang's performances.

Hello to all. I'm new in this wonderful site and I'll send my recordings in the next days.
How many names? Living and not?
Ok, 10 names of all times:
Sofronitzki, Benedetti Michelangeli, Friedman, Horowitz, Richter, Sokolov, Pogorelich,
Francois, Pletnev, Rachmaninov.
But one cry to exclude Cortot, Berman, Feinberg, Gilels and many others.
But the first name (the pianist with a few recordings I would pay a billion to hear more
and see) : Scriabin, with the piano in fire and flying.
Why? I have an idea, but it's too long now (I must prepare the sending of my interpretations,
of course a mile over those names . Need emoticons?).
I think the reason is a kind of empathy of these pianists and my personal research of
musical simbolism. The illusion (of mine) to understand where they go, which ideas or psychic images enlights their pianism. All them do not think at the fidelity (dog,s affair) to the text
(apart Richter who thaught so) but research and in their personal,
comunicative way, find the myth which includes the music score and pre-exists
before and through the music score.

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